Water for Gotham:A HistoryGerard T. Koeppel

"Vivid. . . . Koeppel's graceful history is written with wit and intelligence."--Publishers Weekly

"Koeppel's study, an engaging read, follows the tortuous origins of the city's much-delayed water system. In doing so, Water for Gotham uncovers a rich history--a history that seemed to have been forgotten nearly as soon as the fresh water began to flow."--New York History

ADDITIONAL ENDORSEMENTS:

"Koeppel's lively and absorbing account of supplying water to New York amounts to a history of life itself in the city during its first two centuries. Disease, social habits, business and industry--virtually all aspects of public and private life in the city--have at times been shaped by the simple and basic need for supplies of clean water. This is a scholarly study written to capture anyone's imagination."--Ethan Carr, author of Wilderness by Design

"Engrossing and entertaining, Water for Gotham is a beautifully written romp through some juicy Big Apple history."--Alice Outwater, author of Water: A Natural History

"Delightfully told and informative, Gerard Koeppel's Water for Gotham: A History is as fresh and sparkling as the waters of the Croton Aqueduct."--Tony Hiss, author of The Experience of Place

"A meticulously researched and thoroughly documented history, Gerard Koeppel's Water for Gotham is also a well-paced story--or more precisely a collection of stories--about how 'Old New York' took its initial steps toward becoming the world's quintessential metropolis. This book will be valued--and enjoyed--not only by historians and urban planners, but also by anyone interested in the city's growth and development."--Thomas Mellins, coauthor of New York 1880, New York 1930, and New York 1960

"Water for Gotham delivers an important historical story about the little-noticed underpinnings of American city life, a tale rich with health and environmental issues that resonate to the present day. It also tellingly analyzes what passed for 'water policy' in old New York and water's centrality to everyday routines and in crises (fires, epidemics), while documenting the miseries New Yorkers suffered due to long term failures of vision and finance."--Philip Scranton, Rutgers University, author of Endless Novelty